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Vulgar Stats: Production vs. Pay Revisited

If you’ll remember, two weeks ago we looked at the production percentage of each forward versus their contract percentage out of total forward money. Now it might be a little soon to be coming back, but with the team playing well for a change, I felt it was worth another look.

November 7th, 2010

November 21st, 2010

There actually isn’t much of a difference. Niedermayer looks a little better while Gaustad looks a little worse and both players continue to be disappointments. What’s blatantly obvious is the utter hideousness of the second line. Hecht, Connolly, and Pominville have been awful. Now some of that can be attributed to Pominville’s injury, but Hecht and Connolly haven’t been good no matter who their third crapketeer has been.

The Difference

Thomas Vanek also continues to underachieve, although in some fans’ minds he could pot fifty goals and still not be worth his contract. Vanek’s tough to judge though since he’ll help on a lot of goals by setting screens and won’t get credit on the score sheet. (And he deserves an assist for the Myers game winner against Vancouver.) Also, some of his struggles, namely a lack of power play production, are more indicative of his teammates’ shortcomings (ahem, Tim Connolly) than his own. Still you like to think that what Vanek has done of late will be the norm and erase what Vanek didn’t do early in the season. The above certainly gives an appreciation for what Vanek has been doing these past two weeks.

Finally, I miss Drew Stafford. I never thought I’d say that, but he’s probably the third best goal scorer this team has outside of Vanek and Roy (ouch). I’ve never been high on Stafford, but at this point there’s no way he can bring any less than Connolly, Hecht, or Pominville have been bringing. I hate pulling the “well things cannot possibly be any worse” card, but it’s true.

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